by Andrea Mandell, USA TODAY

"It's a nutty day," said Renner inside the Official Presenter Gift Lounge backstage at the Independent Spirit Awards, which was stuffed with goodies like Mattel Games, Crunch gym memberships, Fashion Forms lingerie and a 1-month supply of Yoplait Greek 100. In between razzing Spirit host Andy Samberg on stage, the star was surprisingly laid back, given his schedule.

"The only thing that's bad about it is the traffic. Everything else is quite fun. You see some old friends, meet some new friends. From this I'm going over to Kodak," for rehearsals, the Oscars presenter said. It's the Dolby Theatre now, we told him. "Whatever it is," he laughed. "I know where it's at."

The actor said he felt at home at the Spirit Awards, which began embracing him 10 years ago for the indie Dahmer - long before his work in The Hurt Locker would catapult him to Avengers-style fame. "I just love the Spirit Awards," he said. "I just love how fun and loose it is. I dig it."

Renner's next project will likely steer his career right into 2014's awards season. "I'm working with David O. Russell next," he said, on The Ends of the Earth, a film that begins shooting next month with Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Louis C.K. "I feel very lucky to be working with such talented people. They're going to make me better. I'm very excited."